Disgraced Former Judge Richard Baumgartner’s Trial Begins Today

After two days of jury selection, 10 women and two men were selected from a pool of 129 people. A man and a woman were selected as alternates.

The former judge was charged in May with seven counts of misprision for concealing and not reporting a felony.

Baumgartner is best known for having presided over the Christian-Newsom murder trials. He then became notoriously known after a TBI investigation detailed his drug use, doctor shopping and lying to people, including state officials, in an attempt to cover up a drug trafficking conspiracy committed by his lover, Deena Castleman, a graduate of the drug court he started.

Castleman and the seven people he is accused of lying to, are expected to take the stand against Baumgartner.